Nut lock



Feb. 2, 1.924, n,4s4,@ J. WALKER I NUT .LOCK

Filed April 14, 1923 {Sheets-Sheet 1 y WA Jww .Jmm MFHLHER.

Feb. 26 1924., 1,484,689

" J. WNQKER v NUT LOCK I I Filed Abril 14, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ZZZmum? ans-m m gm Patented Feb. 26, 1924. Y

JOHN WALKER, or BARBIE, ONTARIO, CAN-ADA.

NUT LOCK.

Application filed April 14, 1923. Serial No. 632,116.

.7 all whom it may concern Be it knowntha't I, J oHN' \VALKER, a subjectof the King of Great Britain, and a resident of the town of Barrie, inthe Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Nut Locks, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in nut locks, and the obj'ectsofthe invention are to provide a simple and effective device for lockingand tightening the nuts of track bolts such as used for rail joints andplates, and to provide a device of such a character that the operationof the track will automatically take up the slip occasioned by vibratorymovement, thus preventing looseningv and consequent pounding of the railoint.

Further objects of the invention are to provide'such a" device that willbe automatic in character, and will automatically tighten the nuts fromtime to time, continuing in this way to correct the tendency for the 2joint to loosen. i

And still furtheijobject's ar'egenerally to improve and simplify theconstriiction of the device to better adapt the various parts to performthe functions required of them.

so And it consists essentially of the improved construction hereinafterdescribed in detail in the accompanying specifications and drawings.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan View of an embodiment of theinvention.

Figure 2 is a side view. Figure 3 is a plan view of the underside of thedevice. Figure 4 is a side View of the device.

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation drawn to an enlarged scale. Figure 6is a sectional detail taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 3. Figure 7 is adetail showing an elevation of one of the ratchet members.

Figure 8 is a side view of one of the ratchet members.

Figure 9 is a sectional detail of the connecting bracket.

In the drawings, like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in all the figures.

Referring to the drawings:

A indicates a supporting member having at each end a head or housing 10designed to rotatably support a. ratchet member 11 which is formed withan aperture 12 to fit a square, hexagonal or other nut. As shown, theratchet member is held in position in an annular socket 13 in thesupporting member by means of a removable annular retaining plate letheld in position by releasable means such as set screws 15.

The ratchet member is provided on the side with a ratchet wheel 16designed to be engaged by one or more spring-actuated pawls17 whichoperate in radially extending recesses 18 provided in the head beingforced outwardly by springs 19 extending between the inner end of thepawls and the ends'of the recesses. I have shown four of such springpawls, but it is obvious that any desired numbermight be used, and thesewill be designed with reference to the size of the teeth of the ratchetwheel in accordance with the conditions under which the device is to beused.

The supporting member is provided at a suitable point with a connectingor supporting bracket 20 which, as shown, is pivoted thereto and is ofU-shape, having an aperture 21 on the inner side designed to receive abolt or rivet by which it may be held in position on the track.

The manner of applying the device will be readily apparent from Figures1 and 2 of the drawings. It will be seen that the sup portin member A.extends parallel with the track l5, and that nuts 22 and 23 extendthrough the heads of the supporting member, these nuts being provided onthe bolts 24 and 25, the supporting member being retained in position byan intermediate bolt 26 the head of which engages the bracket 20.

It will be seen further that two supporting members are provided, one oneach side of the rail, the four bolts of the joint having the nutsalternately on opposite sides whereby the heads of the bolts 26 and 24on the sides opposite the nuts will serve to engage and retain thebracket 20 in position.

It will be found that, in action, the vibratory movement produced by thetraffic will cause the nuts to tighten while retrograde movement will beprevented by the space 30 between the ratchet member and its supportinghousing.

It will be observed that the supportingbracket 20 is formed with anaperture 31 opposite the aperture 21 to facilitate the passage of thebolt through the supporting member.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and manyapparently widely different embodiments of my invention within the scopeof the claims, constructed without departing from the spirit or scopethereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanyingspecification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and notin a limiting sense.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A device of the character described comprising a supporting memberhaving a head formed with a socket, a ratchet member adapted to fit thesocket having an aperture to receive the head of a nut and being formedwith a ratchet wheel, a removable cover plate retaining the ratchetmember in the socket, and a spring pawl in the head designed to engagethe ratchet wheel.

2. A device of the character described'comprising a supporting memberhaving a head 7 formed with a socket, a ratchet member adaptretainingthe ratchet member in the socket, and a plurality of radially extendingspringactuated pawls in the head adapted to engage the ratchet wheel.

3. A device of the character described comprising a longitudinallyextending supporting member having a head at each end, a ratchet memberrotatably mounted in each head formed with an aperture to receive a nutand with a ratchet wheel, spring pawls on the heads engaging the ratchetwheels.

4-. A device of the character described comprising a longitudinallyextending supporting member having a head at each end, a ratchet memberrotatably mounted in each head formed with v an aperture to receive anut and with a ratchet wheel, spring pawls on the heads engaging theratchet wheels, and a supporting bracket secured to the head by which itmay be attached to a rail.

5. A device of the character described comprising a longitudinallyextending supporting member having a head at each end, a ratchet memberrotatably mounted in each head formed with an aperture to receive a nutand with a ratchet wheel, spring pawls on the heads engaging the ratchetwheels, and a supporting bracket secured to the head by which it maybe'attached to a rail, said supporting bracket being of 'U-shape havingaperture at opposite sides through which a bolt may pass.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN WALKER.

